Alright, welcome again, Steve Elzinga here. The coaching class. I want to talk in this session about prayer. Last session we talked about the Bible — the Bible was listening to what God has to say. Prayer is speaking to God and also listening to see what God might have to say.

Again, the whole premise is this is Christian counseling or coaching, not just coaching. If we're going to ask our clients to figure out their problems, figure out the solutions, where are they going to get the stuff with which to figure these things out? It's not just inside of them, not just some creative thing, the collective universal thing that we're all a part of. It's actually a connection to God and God in His Church. And so using prayer and using the Bible in your sessions is sort of a prerequisite to making this Christian coaching, as opposed to coaching.

The Place of Prayer in Coaching

1. Prayer for Wisdom

You're asking the client to figure out things for himself. Where does this wisdom come from?

James 1:5 — “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

Encourage the client to pray to God to help figure these things out.

2. Prayer Commitments

One of the things we talked about earlier is: you make up a goal, but then you get the client to make a commitment — maybe even write it down, sign it. People committed to things don’t do things. But your commitment is only as good as what your commitment rests upon.

Commitments are promises, and promises are applied on top of other promises. In court, you swear on a Bible — “so help you God.” The commitment is based on something higher.

So: commit your work, commit your plans to the Lord, not just to yourself.

3. Prayer of Repentance

Clients want changes in their lives. Sometimes repentance means turning around — admitting what they’ve been doing so far has not been working. People want a better marriage, but don’t want to admit they’ve been doing the wrong things. They want to be better parents, but don’t want to admit their mistakes.

James 5:16 — “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

Getting the coach to pray for the client — powerful and effective.

4. Praying the To-Do List

Psalm 143:8 — “Show me the way I should go, for to You I entrust my life.”

People write to-do lists. As a Christian, your to-do list is your prayer list. Everything you plan to do is something you want God involved in. So scratch out “to-do list” and write “prayer list.”

5. Prayer of Dependence

Psalm 142:6–7 — “Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need…”

In coaching, we create an atmosphere of dependence on God. This is not a human endeavor — it’s a godly one. Remind your client that God is the one making things happen.

6. Prayer for the Plan

Proverbs 16:9 — “The heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

Pray: “Dear God, please establish the steps.”

Let the client sense that God is the third person in the room. You don’t go with the client during the week — but God does.

7. Prayer for Surrender

Romans 12:1–2 — present your bodies as a living sacrifice… be transformed… discern the will of God by testing.

That’s what coaching is: testing to see what God’s will is. Try things. Adjust. Keep talking to God. Keep reading the Bible.

How to Use Prayer in Coaching

1. Begin and end sessions with prayer

Invite God to sit at the table with you.

2. Pray when stuck

If you’re frustrated — pray.

3. Pray when progress is made

Celebrate with prayer.

4. Pray when good things happen

Don’t forget to thank God.

5. Pray when frustrated or happy

Pray without ceasing.

Eventually, the client will say, “Maybe we should pray about this.” That’s when you know it’s working.

Questions for Clients About Prayer

1. What has God been telling you lately in your prayers?

This applies to:

  • figuring out what to change

  • planning

  • managing the plan

2. How have your prayers been impacting your goals?

If they haven’t been praying daily, ask:

“What do you think we should do about that?”

3. Who could you get to pray for you?

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Enlist prayer partners.

Final Summary

Use prayer. Use the Bible. Bathe everything in Scripture and prayer. There is no wrong time to say, “Hey, let’s pray about this.”

Alright, we’ll see you again next week.



Последнее изменение: пятница, 17 апреля 2026, 10:27